Kansas coach Bill Self explains handshake line ‘fly-by’ by K-State coach Jerome Tang
After losing to Kansas State earlier in the season, the Kansas Jayhawks earned their revenge on Tuesday’s Senior Night.
The Jayhawks dominated Kansas State 90-68 in another iteration of the Sunflower Showdown. Although the game wasn’t particularly contentious, the real drama started postgame.
After the game, the teams shook hands and K-State coach Jerome Tang appeared to move past KU coach Bill Self without saying a word. The pair quickly touched hands, which Self later described as a “fly by.”
“He just didn’t want to shake hands; he just did a fly-by — that’s fine,” Self said. “I will say this: When we got our (butt) kicked there, we shook everyone’s hands and did a handshake line. So I guess it was different here today.”
Self was referencing the first meeting between Kansas and Kansas State, which the Wildcats won in overtime in Manhattan.
After that win, the Wildcats’ players and coaches ran toward the crowd to celebrate, with Tang becoming famous for postgame dances alongside the student section.
“That stuff — going into the stands and stuff — we are used to that,” Self said.
After that game, Self had a quick handshake with Tang.
A source in the Kansas program told The Star nothing else happened between the two teams postgame on Tuesday. Tang was also seen acknowledging and hugging multiple KU players in the handshake line
For the Jayhawks, the win was particularly sweet.
“I saw how excited they were after they beat us, and I think that definitely kind of stuck with some of us,” said senior Hunter Dickinson, who scored 15 points with 20 rebounds and five blocks. “Usually people are excited to beat us cause it a rare occasion, especially for them.
“I think we felt a little motivated coming in tonight knowing that it was Senior Night, knowing that we wanted to send the seniors out with the right note.”
He continued.
“This was a really good stepping stone for us,” Dickinson said, “heading into a really tough game against Houston.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 12:29 AM.
